New machine has knackered control box :-( Need a new one

Well been trying to get the machine to work only to find that there is something seriously amiss with it. Firstly the emergency stop button does absolutely nothing when pressed.

Secondly the x axis isnt working properly. It spins the motor for a second then stops, but the illustration on the screen is still moving.

A few people have said that this is a cheap planet cnc copy and that they are basically crap. I have spoken to planet cnc and they have said it is hit and miss if these controllers work or not, they have recommended buying one of their control boxes.

Has anyone had any experience with these? Are they any good? Cost 550e so it more than i paid for the whole machine but if its worth it then I will get one.

Any help would be great.

p.s. sorry for spamming the forum with my novice crap :-(

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p.s. sorry for spamming the forum with my novice crap :-(

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First it would be better if you kept all your posts in one place as people have to trawl through the other posts to see what has happened.

Can you send the machine back?

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Secondly the x axis isnt working properly. It spins the motor for a second then stops, but the illustration on the screen is still moving.

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This could happen if he axis is binding and then stalling can you check if the motor keep going when it is not physically connected to the machine?

its nothing to do with the machine i dont think, as if I swop the leads around between the x and y then the x axis works fine, but the y axis now works intermittently.

Are planet cnc control boxes any good?

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Originally Posted by ravihotwok

its nothing to do with the machine i dont think, as if I swop the leads around between the x and y then the x axis works fine, but the y axis now works intermittently.

Are planet cnc control boxes any good?

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Not worth more money than you paid for the machine!

I'd complain if you get nowhere with them then complain to paypal shoddy goods are not to be tolerated and want replacing or refunding!

Do not take no for an answer, if possible send the whole thing back for full refund add the €550 you were going to spend on a control box. Then save up so you got €1500 and then get a 2nd hand one through the forums and you'll not regret it ;) I know you're eager to cut but it's nuts to pay that much for a controller for the kind of machine you have.

You can get it working with an Arduino UNO, cnc shield & steppers for ~£25 with grbl.

You have checked the wiring it might just be dodgy connections?

I cant afford that at the moment, I am also woried about the scenario of me shipping the machine back to china, then it getting damaged and im left high and dry, or just with even more complications. If this control box is any good then I will be happy to purchase it and then upgrade the machine once I have learned how to actually use it. I think the control box should be more than up to controlling a bigger/better machine?

The seller is very difficult to communicate with, asked for a video so I sent a link to you tube:

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=yKfTXJvyGBM

I have suggested sending just the control box back and them sending a new one, I think this would be the easyest and easiest way to resolve this.

Its my fault for buying cheap tat but I really need to try and get it up and running asap.

Currently waiting on a reply from them now.

Are those boards you mentioned? I was going for the planet product simply as I have the licensed software so thought I would get very good support from them? (which i obviously need)

im doing another video to show exactly what i mean with the axis

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Originally Posted by ravihotwok

Are those boards you mentioned? I was going for the planet product simply as I have the licensed software so thought I would get very good support from them? (which i obviously need)

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https://github.com/grbl/grbl

it's open source 3 axis solution (No 4th axis) support is very good on forums.
If you use an Arduino mega (Add another £5) 4th axis is possible with grbl
https://zapmaker.org/arduino/program...e-on-mega2560/

That said check you're wiring I bet there's nothing that wrong with the electronics just dodgy connections.

Get that box with the electronics open and get some photo's from inside.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y78...ature=youtu.be

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Originally Posted by ravihotwok

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y78...ature=youtu.be

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I wonder if the stepper driver for the X axis is turned up too high, there's a pot to adjust the current to the driver on the board inside the metal box. When you're trying to only move the X it overloads the motor but when you use X&Y together the power supply can't supply enough current to over load the X.

If there is a pot you must be very careful when you adjust it if you use a metal screwdriver otherwise you can short something out but it's really very easy and nothing to be scared of.

Check this vid out for 3d printers but the principles are the same just bigger motors as you have an all in 1 board with built in steppers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bItYRMLGoVc

dont think you can adjust mine?
Attachment 21982Attachment 21983Attachment 21984Attachment 21985Attachment 21986Attachment 21987

Try turning the jog rate down (velocity) on the faulty axis

When you move in X it runs at full speed

When you move diagonally it will run at a lower X speed to maintain the same diagonal speed. Clearly this works ok so turning X speed down will do the same and it should then be ok

Obviously this is just to get you working. For some reason the driver or wiring is not happy with the pulse rate required for the X axis velocity you are tuned to.

Do you have an oscilloscope? You can check the pulses and see where the dropout is happening. If not check all terminals are tight and make a good connection .

Also that acceleration rate is very low. This is not related to your problem but that will get annoying when you are trying to get into position

Good video by the way that really helped

This may or not help but following on from what has been noted try having a hairdryer set on cold to blow air over the driver chips to see if it is over heating.

tried the jog speed but no difference
just got the hair dryer out lol

Hair dryer idea also not success :-(

It could be anything from the crappy plugs at the back, broken signal cable to faulty driver.

Be patient inquisitive and buy yourself a multi meter to check continuity.

1. Open the box and ensure all connections are connected right. Especially DIR and STEP signals to the drive
2. Ensure all is soldered well and plugs especially
3. Swap cables and make sure that the cable is OK. Check motor and the cable to motor connection.
4. read particular motor driver documentation and see if some adjustment there is not wrong.

Anyway, if are persistent you will find the problem and demonstrate it to them. So no need of sending anything back.

There are not so many things that could go wrong, so just take your time. Its board, cable to drive, drive, cable to motor. Thats it. One of these is wrong.


And yes, buying Chinese boards and searching support from the original maker does not make sense. Buy a board from him and then seek help there :-)

The seller has responded and offered to pay half towards a new control box, im currently looking at the planet cnc control box, has anyone used this box? Main reason for choosing this is for their support. But I dont know if it is overpriced or even if it is anygood?

https://planet-cnc.com/product/mk34-...e-accessories/

Comments from a novice who in the last couple of weeks has learnt not to trust what you see with regard to wiring etc. I agree with Boyan that checking continuity with a multimeter is a must. In my case my stepper motor wires are colour coded red/green/yellow/blue. I found that the wires in the plugs that go into the back of the control box do not follow the colour code. i.e. the blue wire in the plug that connects to the stepper motor ends up as the yellow wire in the plug that goes onto the circuit board.?
Not uncommon apparently to have poorly crimped connections.I had a wire fall out of a plug.
I also had issues inputting the correct parameters into "settings" / "axes 2" To be fair the vendor did mail me with some figures.
Don't know if that helps but it's a very steep learning curve!!

Bob S.

I answered you in private, but for the benefit of others.

for that money and less i will buy:


DDCSV1 offline controller + 3-4x AM822 drives +PSU with proper voltage for the motors.

or


CSMIO 4 axis + 3-4x AM822 drives +PSU with proper voltage for the motors.


or


All in one Leadshine MX4660 4-Axis Stepper Drive or the MX3660 3 axis combo +PSU


or

UCCNC



In that particular order, as my personal preference. But if anyone that sees all too complicated then preference goes to all in one solutions. Mach3 is needed for all but first and last solution. Then one day if you decide on a bigger machine, all electronics -PSU will be ready.

is there a similar alternative so I can use the planet cnc software a I have just purchased the license?

Its said many times in the forum : DO NOT BUY before you know what you are doing.

Anyway, you can buy their board and buys separately better drives for the motors and make the box.

There is also the http://cncdrive.com/UCCNC.html which people report is a very nice solution. They have all components also. Ethernet connection, which is better than USB.



I have a feeling you are going to make some other mistake, so why dont you stop, take a minute and start from point 0. Buy a multi meter and check connections. Whats the hurry? I also was in you situation with my first machine and it took me some time to figure whats happening.

Cheers mate will have a look, this is a long term sort of investment, I have seen numerous comments about the control box I have being of poor quality, so want to start off with the best equipment possible within my budget. Had the machine a few weeks now and not even fitted a tool into it, the fact im having to use a multimetre on a brand new product tells me that this is a poor way to start.
Everyone seems to be using mach 3 so im also a bit gutted ive bought the planet software now :-(

But i dont have a parallel port on the pc I have for the machine

Aint there someone local to you to help you? if i was there i could sort that problem for half an hour.


I know the feeling. Thats how i felt when for first time i read my first 350 pages VDF manual, i had no bloody idea what they are talking about. i wanted to cut but couldn't spin the spindle :cool:



These crappy 4 pin connectors have bugged me once and it took me all day to find that the connector pin inside was broken??. So when i saw the guy making a box with that connectors, it tells me much what we are talking about. How to tell you to buy a 500+VAt board with the crappiest connectors i know of...


You could try speaking with the guy for money back. In Europe even there is law how many days after purchase you could do that...


Mach3 is crap and try to avoid it if you dont need it for specific purpose machine. Yours is not, so just avoid it. So maybe the first and the last solutions from above post are best for you. I could help you set up the first solution if you have problems understanding it.

Just choose some right direction, many people will help you here

Well Boyan, I have sorted a multi-meter so will be online tonight when I am at my workshop with the control box open infront of me. Im trying to read up as much as I can but like you say if someone was here im sure I would be up and running in no time.

Im also wondering if its worth maybe buying the planet cnc 4 axis board and do away with the 3 axis and 4th axis board I currently have? I am buying a new spindle next week which comes with its own controller so that would pretty much mean I have a new box setup? Does that make any sense?

I am getting a partial refund from the seller for the faulty box by the way so that is a help.

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But i dont have a parallel port on the pc I have for the machine

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If you look here #336 http://www.mycncuk.com/threads/9616-...-be-Zeus/page5 Andrew is donating some pc's with PP for the cost of the postage I believe.

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Mach3 is crap and try to avoid it if you dont need it for specific purpose machine. Yours is not, so just avoid it. So maybe the first and the last solutions from above post are best for you. I could help you set up the first solution if you have problems understanding it.

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Boyan I don't believe Mach3 is crap there are many many thousands of people using it and it is well supported by fellow members etc.

Cheers clive,

dont want to sound thick (although that is inevitable)

what do you mean when you say "Andrew is donating some pc's with PP for the cost of the postage I believe. "

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Originally Posted by ravihotwok

Cheers clive,

dont want to sound thick (although that is inevitable)

what do you mean when you say "Andrew is donating some pc's with PP for the cost of the postage I believe. "

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Did you follow the link?

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Originally Posted by Clive S

Did you follow the link?

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yep seems to be mid conversation about a Chinese spindle and how fast it will cut lol

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Originally Posted by ravihotwok

yep seems to be mid conversation about a Chinese spindle and how fast it will cut lol

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Ok did you read post 336 From Andrew

really sorry clive my fault for not reading your post correctly, yes thats helpful but ive got a few old pc's I can have access to. That project looks imence that chap is making

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Originally Posted by ravihotwok

really sorry clive my fault for not reading your post correctly, yes thats helpful but ive got a few old pc's I can have access to. That project looks imence that chap is making

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Ok glad you found it but you did say you did not have a pc with a PP

not currently but I have a parrallel card I can install if needed, just seems another waste if I have already paid the money to have the planet cnc license

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Originally Posted by Clive S

If you look here #336 http://www.mycncuk.com/threads/9616-...-be-Zeus/page5 Andrew is donating some pc's with PP for the cost of the postage I believe.



Boyan I don't believe Mach3 is crap there are many many thousands of people using it and it is well supported by fellow members etc.

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Its just my opinion. For me it is crap. Now. Not at the moment when was useful as there were not many solutions. I had a cracked copy of it and i went and payed full license. To help them develop it. I have invested additional 100euros in plugins for Mach3. have 2 dedicated PCs to run it. So after all that if i say its crap, then that should tell anyone Now/ not before 5 years/ there is a reason to avoid it. If you dont have a special machine that needs it.

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Originally Posted by ravihotwok

not currently but I have a parrallel card I can install if needed, just seems another waste if I have already paid the money to have the planet cnc license

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What if its the drive, not the board? Dont be in a rush to buy

Right chaps, im down the workshop armed with a multi meter. Can you direct me on what to do now lol

There is something defo wrong with this board, Ive tried other cables etc and same result. Had the multimeter out and found the following out.

when you apply a jog to the y axis, all 4 pins outs (2 yellow and 2 red) rise to 12.9v and hold

When you do the x it rises to 13 then nothing except one stays on 26???

So I think this was the problem with my box.

Attachment 22019

I have decided to take the plunge and give up with this control box, as much as everyone have been helpful I'm just so out of my comfort zone with my lack of knowledge, it is easier to just buy a pre-spec'd box and assemble myself. I have no problem what so ever putting things together, its just going to take a bit of time learning what each part of a box/cnc setup does, going to be a steep learning curve but a fun one.

I will start a build thread for anyone interested on how I get on with certain modifications I am making (adding limit switches, new spindle install, extraction system, custom bed, dust barriers, etc)

Look forward to following the build log. Best of luck with it.
Chris

Thanks chris mate :-)

Will start a thread and put the link in my sig